Leaps by Bayer leads $80 million Series A financing for Cellino

US cell therapies maker Cellino Biotech has completed a Series A financing of $80 million, led by the impact investment arm of German pharma major Bayer (BAYN: DE) – Leaps by Bayer – 8VC, and Humboldt Fund.

New investors in the round include Felicis Ventures and others, joining existing investors The Engine and Khosla Ventures. The company has raised a total of $96 million in gross proceeds from private financings to date.

Cellino is on a mission to make stem cell-based regenerative medicines accessible for all eligible patients. Stem cell-derived therapies are poised to prevent, treat, and potentially reverse diseases for which no options are available today or the current standard of care is insufficient. Currently, large-scale production of stem cell therapies is challenging due to extensive manual handling, high variability, and expensive manufacturing costs.

Automating cell therapy manufacturing to reduce costs